What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cheshire has the most affordable homes ($268k median).

Upton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Cheshire	Upton
People
Population	3,216Lowest	8,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	53.7±4.5Highest 34% above MA	46.4±4.8Lowest 16% above MA
	Cheshire and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.2%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Upton and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Highest MA: 17.9%	20.7%±4.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Cheshire and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	53.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5Highest MA: 7.9%	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Cheshire and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,803±$14kLowest 33% below MA	$155,508±$33kHighest 50% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,200±$48kLowest 52% below MA	$576,700±$41kHighest about the MA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$948±$599 46% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 50% below MA	$8,376Highest 40% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.2%±24Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.8%±31Highest MA: 51.8%
	Upton and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Highest MA: 10%	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest MA: 62.5%	86.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest same as MA	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	35 minHighest 22% above MA
Work from home	4.4%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.8%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#274 of 282 in MA	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Hoosac Valley Regional	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Hoosac Valley High School	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	11.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.